<p>Hugcheck, if this is a remodel to prep your house for sale, you need to go with fixtures that would be appealing to an average buyer. Nothing too modern, too classic - and definitely nothing too expensive. Higher end fixtures from Lowes or HD would fit the bill, unless, of course, the house requires upscale stuff.</p>
<p>I hear you BB. The issue is, it’s a fairly high end neighborhood but we tend to furnish on the cheaper side. So the lighting is 20 years old and shiny gold (not so shiny any more). Gotta upgrade the aged pieces so thinking to spend a few extra hundred bucks or so to find interesting lighting to brighten and spark up the feel of the place. Plus we probably will live here a couple / few more years … Definitely enjoying the new granite counters - since I’ve never lived w/ anything other than formica it feels luxe to me. I understand that for others all they’d see is the other run down stuff. /sigh. Like the jacuzzi tub. /sigh. And the plastic surround shower in the MBr. That stuff probably will NOT change. </p>
<p>But lighting - it seems to me that lighting can really perk up the look of the place if done right. If I can pick a $300 entry way light (compared to the $50 one I’ve lived with all these years) and have a buyer walk in and feel like something special is in store - well, then, it’d be worth it, no? Last time we moved I just “knew” that the beautiful blue bowl in the kitchen was going to sell the house. This time I just seem to “know” that good lighting will do it here. And we get to live with it for a while. Win win.</p>
<p>Bookworm thanks for the lightbulbsunlimited website. Interesting stuff!</p>
<p>Edit: Ahahahahahahhah bwahahaha I just found one I *really * like on lightbulbsunlimited. $9,845.00 Nice to know you have good taste. Or at least expensive taste :).</p>
<p>The yellow brass fixtures have to go, I agree. Instead of hiring an interior designer, you might benefit from getting opinions from several local realtors and house stagers who know the market and the current buyers’ tastes.</p>
<p>hugcheck, one more comment about lighting stores. If you have a good one near you, it’s almost a certainty that they will have at least one person, probably more, working there who is knowledgable enough to offer the advice you need for each area of the house, even without using a designer. The one I used offered to come out to the house for an hour and have a look around so they knew what the space was. I didn’t need this service as I had a designer but it would have been free with the purchase of the lighting fixtures. Another consideration is any possible discount offered depending on the number of fixtures you’re purchasing. I received a 20% discount on mine. I agree with you that lighting an definitely make a positive impression in a home. It’s also nice to enjoy yourself! I never realized how poor our lighting was ( I knew it was bad but not that bad!) until our reno was finished and we moved back in.</p>
<p>If you are modernizing just to sell the house, by all means check with a realtor. You can spend a ton of money on lighting fixtures and you may not get back your investment. If you are buying for yourself, that is a whole different situation. </p>
<p>I think you mentioned LEDs. We are in transition. Soon the tungsten and the current compact fluorescent lamps, and halogens will be replaced by LEDs. Energy consumption is very low but costs are still high and there are very few choices. If you are selling soon, it will not matter. If you sell in a few years, lights and fixtures are likely to be very different and what you do today will look dated.</p>
<p>Good point Edad about the pace of change in LED lighting. The bit of research I’ve done in the last couple hours suggests the technology is about to grow and bloom into lots of types and styles and the prices will come down dramatically. Coincidentally, without talking about it, DH ordered an LED lamp for his home office; it was around $150, is ultra sleek/modern and has 4 settings w/ 4 different lighting tones. Interesting - one setting is very yellow and soft, one is whiter and brighter, one is supposed to be close to sunlight, and one is very bright. The bulb itself is tiny and the range of light thrown is pretty small compared to an incandescent light. But the LED bulbs online seem to show a few LED little white lights within one bulb shaped more like a conventional incandescent light bulb. Cost is about 50-80 bucks for each of those light bulbs. </p>
<p>I think I’ll contact the local showroom(s) to see if an expert will come out and help design/plan. I’ll ask about the volume discount, too - that will help!</p>
<p>Now. Do we need to change our bright brass door handles out for the newer oil rubbed bronze or brushed nickel? Oy gevalt.</p>
<p>Those $80 bulbs are probably dimmable, since regular incandescent bulb-shaped LEDs cost under $30. You really do not need dimmable bulbs for every fixture in the house. I suggest getting a few different ones from Costco or HD and check whether you like the kind of light they produce.</p>